ABCUL has linked up with Citizens Advice to support a new Financial Inclusion Partnership Project. The aim of the project is to assist bureaux to develop partnerships with their local Credit Union, to identify key challenges to working in partnership, develop best practice and to develop a range of partnership models.

NEWSLETTER: the second edition of the CONNECT project newsletter is available to download - click on the pdf link below.

A number of CAB and Credit Union’s are already working in partnership, where they have been learning about each others services, developing joint referral schemes and some have even developed joint services to benefit their clients.

A small grants scheme was launched early in 2007, but only £60,000 of small grant funding was available, and therefore only 12 partnerships were funded.

A variety of partnership projects were selected, to cover a range of criteria, rural, urban, Wales & Scotland, new Partnerships, existing partnerships, partnerships with ‘one to many’ relationships e.g., one Credit Union working with several CABx and also projects focusing on delivering Financial Capability projects.

·York & District CAB and York Credit Union Ltd

·Caerphilly County CAB and Caerphilly Credit Union Ltd 

·Bolton & District CAB & Quids in Bolton Credit Union Ltd 

·Weymouth & Portland CAB & First Dorset Credit Union Ltd  

·Ipswich & Suffolk Credit Union Ltd & Ipswich CAB; Felixstowe CAB; Leiston CAB & Bury St Edmunds CAB 

·Cardiff CAB & Cardiff and the Vale Credit Union Ltd 

·Plymouth CAB & City of Plymouth Credit Union Ltd 

·Caledfryn Credit Union Ltd & Denbigh CAB

·Hillingdon & Ealing CAB & Hillingdon Credit Union Ltd 

·Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union Ltd & Hull CAB, East Yorkshire (Bridlington) CAB and possibly Boothferry (Goole) CAB

·Penicuik CAB & Capital Credit Union Ltd 

·Speke Advice Service & Riverside Credit Union Ltd 

The project is supported by an Advisory Board more details regarding the membership and role of the Advisory Board are available from the link below. Aside from the grant recipients support for other partnerships between bureaux and credit unions is available, to find out more about this support, contact Claire Brady.

If you have further questions please contact Claire Brady on claire.brady@abcul.org or on 020 7833 7148, or 07960 516 363.